Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Cuts KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) Price Target to $8.00

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) had its price target trimmed by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $8.25 to $8.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a market perform rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $9.00 target price (down from $9.50) on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Zacks Research downgraded KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BTIG Research lowered KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust from $11.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.00.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Trading Up 1.0%

KREF opened at $7.34 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.83, a current ratio of 407.64 and a quick ratio of 423.43. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust has a fifty-two week low of $7.22 and a fifty-two week high of $11.53. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $8.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $471.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.99 and a beta of 0.88.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust (NYSE:KREF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $32.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.06 million. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust had a negative net margin of 10.80% and a negative return on equity of 1.13%. As a group, research analysts predict that KKR Real Estate Finance Trust will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently -95.24%.

Insider Activity at KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

In other news, Director Ralph F. Rosenberg sold 125,289 shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.25, for a total value of $1,033,634.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KREF. Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 12.9% during the second quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 119,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 13,658 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its position in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 262.2% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 204,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,792,000 after purchasing an additional 147,895 shares during the period. Condor Capital Management increased its stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 27.6% during the 2nd quarter. Condor Capital Management now owns 344,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,022,000 after purchasing an additional 74,532 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at $570,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in KKR Real Estate Finance Trust by 6.0% during the second quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 33,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 1,913 shares during the last quarter. 70.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting KKR Real Estate Finance Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 2025 results and management commentary showed strategic expansion and stronger-than-expected numbers (EPS and revenue beat), which supports valuation and cash-flow outlook. Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a $1.5B repayment target and aggressive asset resolution plans while evaluating dividend strategy — a deleveraging plan that reduces credit risk and could improve investor confidence if executed. Repayment/Dividend Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target from $10 to $9 but maintained an overweight rating — a lower target but continued confidence from that shop could limit downside. Wells Fargo Note
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan trimmed its target to $8.00 and kept a neutral rating, and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods also lowered theirs to $8.00 (market perform) — modest target compression but not outright negative stance from these firms. JPMorgan / KBW Notes
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG downgraded KREF from buy to neutral, reducing an important buy-side endorsement and likely weighing on investor sentiment. BTIG Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded the stock from hold to strong sell, a sharp cut that can pressure retail and quant flows tied to third‑party ratings. Zacks Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Implied volatility in KREF options is surging, signaling elevated trader expectation of larger price swings (higher uncertainty and risk premium), which can amplify intraday moves and raise hedging costs. Options Volatility Article

About KKR Real Estate Finance Trust

KKR Real Estate Finance Trust, Inc (NYSE: KREF) is a mortgage real estate investment trust sponsored by KKR & Co Inc The company focuses on originating, acquiring, financing and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and real estate-related assets across the United States and select European markets.

The trust’s investment strategy is centered on lending to high-quality office, industrial, retail, multifamily and hotel properties. Its portfolio primarily consists of senior mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, floating-rate debt securities and preferred equity positions.